An "extraordinary fixture reshuffle" will affect three of the summer's four Tests, according to Lutton & Wu of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.
An overhaul of Australia's Test schedule "was made after Phillip Hughes' death last week," with Cricket Australia's discussions with India, England, the Australian Cricketers' Association and several states continuing into Monday evening before an announcement was made late in the night. The Brisbane Test "will be wedged between the Adelaide Test and Boxing Day, with Sydney's traditional new year's fixture to be pushed back three days" to start on Jan. 6. Australia's players and the Board of Control for Cricket in India "have been the key parties in the talks." A "logistical nightmare seemed inevitable for CA once Michael Clarke's team decided they would not be ready to play in Brisbane this week, just days after Hughes' funeral in Macksville on Wednesday." It is believed "up to 10 scenarios were investigated during the marathon talks to make changes at the last minute to a fixture list that CA normally takes 12 months to produce." Plans to move the Brisbane Test into the new year, which appeared likely on Sunday, "were scuttled on Monday because of India's concerns the late finish to the Test series would jeopardise their preparations for the World Cup." Cricket Australia said that "tickets bought for the Tests would be honoured in the new fixture, but said ticketholders had the option of a full refund given the changes." Ticketholders who booked flights through Qantas "have been told they can reschedule flights without being subject to a flight-change fee" (SMH, 12/2).
